Today would have been Marco Simoncelli’s 25th birthday, and despite his untimely passing, the Italian MotoGP star is being remembered the world over by race fans. Dying in the early laps of the 2011 Malaysian GP, Simoncelli’s fateful crash was a tragedy that weighed heavily on the the MotoGP paddock during the fews weeks after his passing, and that dark cloud loomed over the sport as MotoGP re-assembled for the final race of the season at Valencia.

Sent off with a minute of noise, not silence, the healing process for the paddock has been slow but steady since the Spanish round. SuperSic has formally been remembered by the Misano circuit, which changed its official name to honor the Italian rider, while the Simoncelli family has setup the Marco Simoncelli Foundation to honor its lost son, and do humanitarian work in his name. Happy Birthday SuperSic. You are still missed.

Happy B-Day Marco!! U brought great joy and excitement to anyone who watched u raced and just for being urself all the time!! Great racer, amazing charisma and personality!!! U are greatly missed my friend!!!

After the funeral, I managed to find the video from Italian TV online of Sic’s funeral, and it was just riveting, something I’ll never forget. It was in Italian, but the images spoke very loudly. His RCV at the altar next to the casket. Valentino pushing it down the aisle and onto the front steps of the church, where they laid his coffin for a while so the crowd outside could pay their repsects. Jorge Lorenzo, hugging his parents and so truly, truly he’d had words with him, who ‘manned-up’ and became 10 feet tall in my eyes, Loris Capirossi looking so visibly shaken. HRC’s Nakamoto-san. I almost lost it when they showed Agostini weeping: What had those eyes seen over his career? And outside there were all these teenage boys in full race-suit leathers and helmets, almost like a ‘street’ honor guard, boys of whom Sic would have been in their number in earlier times. We tend to not realize how moto-crazy Italy is among the Europeans, but this was as if it were an NFL funeral in this country. And later, the laps of remembrance at the race, with Schwantz in black leading them, just historic and heart-rending at the same time to see EVERY racebike in the joint in formation.

God Rest Marco Simoncelli.

76

Cheers Marco, happy birthday, you continue to race in our mind & heart all over the world

Beary

Still can’t really believe he’s gone… choked looking at pictures still. Happy Birthday Marco. Whenever I see #58 in any form I think of you.